While I Breathe
by Rose Tyler
Summary: I was a completely normal girl living in a completely normal world. Until I fell into a coma that lead me to my Edward; my blessing and my curse. Alternate universe. M for mature themes; no lemons.
1. Coma

**A/N**: This is a short story idea I had; it will be shared in three parts, all of which are already written. Once I get reviews on this part, part 2 will be uploaded. So please review when you finish reading. I hope you like it!

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Pinch me, is this real?  
This feeling of release?  
I'm floating in your Heaven.  
In the corners of my dreams.

~ Natalie Walker, _Waking Dream ~_

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"Bella?" I hear my mother's voice echoing from some land that seems distant and out of reach.

"I'm here," Edward whispers to me. "Where else am I going to go?"

My eyelids flutter as I feel him lean over me and kiss me upon my forehead. I see the blurred vision of a hospital room, my beloved leaning over me. I blink, and he is suddenly across the room in a chair.

"Bella?" my mother's voice comes at me once more from that far away place.

Edward is now asleep in his chair across the room. I blink again, and he is sitting up in the chair, looking at me. Then he is asleep again as my eyelids open once more. I squeeze my eyes shut, confused. I must be slipping in and out of consciousness.

I wonder what has happened to me. Why am I in the hospital? Edward and I were in the forest just moments ago.

My eyes open as I struggle to shake the grogginess from my mind. I see the blurry form of my mother leaning over me, slowly coming into focus.

"Mom?" I ask, unsure of what is real.

"Hey," she smiles down at me in relief.

"What happened?" I question, struggling to remember.

"You tripped," she explains. "Fell down two flights of stairs. Went through a window!" she finishes, appearing to be on the verge of tears.

I look to Edward's chair to see that it is empty. "Where is he? Where's… Edward?" I stammer, still in a daze from the anesthetics.

"I'll go get a nurse," she says, lightly placing a kiss on my forehead before strolling out of the room.

"Edward?" I try, feeling that he is somewhere right out of my reach. My hand reaches out for his, grasping instead empty air.

"Edward?" I whisper.

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Two weeks have gone by since I last saw Edward. I ask my parents about him, but they both tell me sternly that he is not real. He is, though. Edward is real.

The day comes when I can finally leave the hospital. I hear them questioning the doctor about my love. They are worried about me; they worry that I had hit my head during my fall and am now hallucinating my beautiful Edward. He suggests that Edward is merely a coping mechanism that I had conjured up in my mind while encompassed in my coma for all those months. A figure I created to entertain my conscious while my body was not yet ready to awaken.

It makes sense, and a part of me believes it. But unlike what the doctor says, Edward is not going to simply go away after I spend a few weeks back in my normal life.

**There is no normal life for me now without Edward.**

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**Don't forget to review!**

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	2. Dreaming

Tasting life, numb again.  
Close my eyes, it begins.  
I cannot stumble here; I am safe inside my head.  
When I wake up I'll forget; I'll come back to my mess.

~ Natalie Walker, _Waking Dream ~_

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I believe that Edward is calling me.

That he is trying to tell me where to find him.

Every night I dream of him. Sometimes it is simply all of the beautiful memories we have made together; but other times, he calls out to me. He does not say it, but he wants me to find him. I know it.

The two of us now lie in a field together. It is a mesmerizing field, full of numerous flowers and the greenest grass I have ever seen. We sit amongst the flowers simply talking, just enjoying being in each others arms. I lie down slowly, resting my head on the grass below me. My eyes follow Edward as he moves to lie beside me.

We lie there for a while, me gazing into his beautiful green eyes, him gazing into my deep brown. It feels as though he is staring right into my soul, and I love it. I am hypnotized. The sunlight suddenly bursts through the clouds, hitting us and making Edward glow. I smile, turning my head to gaze up into the sun.

The light is blinding; so bright I can no longer see. It is fine with me if I go blind at this moment. It only seems poetic that the last thing my eyes should see be him. The most beautiful vision I have ever been blessed to witness. I reach out to my side, reaching for his hand. When I find nothing, I begin to panic.

I shoot up in bed, now soaked in sweat. "Edward?" I ask, looking around in confusion. But as usual, he is not here.

I am alone in my bedroom, and it is three in the morning.

This is not the first time this has happened.

I believe that Edward and I are twin flames; we are two souls forever intertwined with one another, feeding off of the other to survive and dancing together until the end of time.

We belong together.

Forever.

Other boys look at me with desire; they look at my gentle curves, my soft brown eyes, the beautiful brown waves that cascade down my back like a waterfall. They want me; I can tell. Some even tell me so. But I always turn them down. They would not understand if I explained to them, so I don't.

That I love Edward, and only Edward; only my other half.

And I am waiting for him.

Getting more desperate for his love with every moment that passes me by.

As I sit on the porch step of my home now, looking out at the woods, I think of an old saying I heard once. _Dum spiro, spero_. While I breathe, I hope.

**As long as I am breathing, as long as I am alive, I will forever live in the hopes of finding my love.**

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**Please review if you want the final chapter!  
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Thanks again for the reviews on chapter 1. :)**  
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	3. Waking

Safe inside my mind, my head, I will not leave.  
Stay asleep, step further in my ecstasy.

~ Natalie Walker, _Waking Dream ~_

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Edward is not real.

At least not in this world. Not in my world.

I run my fingers under the running water before me, checking to see if it is warm enough.

Months have passed since I have woken up from my coma; I am now completely healed, aside from my broken heart.

_Edward is not real._

The fact echoes in my mind, haunting me and consuming me for every moment of my existence.

I was delusional; I realize that now. And I wish so very badly that I never regained my sanity.

Edward slips further and further away from me with each passing moment. And I feel pain; so much so in my mind that it now hurts me physically. To breathe. To exist.

While I breathe, I hope. _Dum spiro, spero_.

I laugh bitterly as I think of this saying and how it once inspired me to find Edward. I feel now as though that is impossible; at least not on this earth.

I step into the bathtub that is now full, slowly lowering myself into the deliciously warm water.

I inhale the smoke from the cigarette that is between my fingers. It is intoxicating; almost near the level of ecstasy I feel as I think of Edward.

My mother disapproves of this new-found habit of mine; she tells me often that it is bad for me. That it will hurt my lungs. I do not mind if my lungs are broken; simply another thing inside of me that no longer functions. A companion for my heart.

Edward and I are standing naked in an ocean, the moon looming over us in all of its beauty. I am myself again; the better part of myself. I am the Isabella Swan who does not smoke. Who does not wear thick black eyeliner and baggy clothing in hopes of hiding herself from the world. Her heart still beats, beating in perfect harmony with that of the angel beside her.

He wraps an arm around me, and I am happy.

Thinking of this, I stare down at the crashing tides below me. I look to my left and see Edward standing there, beautiful as always.

"Bella, don't do this," he softly pleads.

"I have to, Edward," I tell him, removing my jacket and slipping my shoes off of my feet. "You won't stay with me any other way."

And with that, I dive into the vast unknown of the waters. I see the moonlight, and I see Edward waiting for me.

The water encompasses me, and I embrace it.

I embrace the numbing coldness that surrounds me. I embrace the darkness. Edward is here, and I smile. He reaches out to wrap his arm around me.

And I am now floating in the ocean, eyes closed. I open them slowly to see Edward floating beside me, upside down in the waters. Finally, we are back where we have always belonged.

Together.

Twin flames reunited.

_I love you, Edward_.

My eyes fill with dots as the air leaves my lungs. The bathwater pours over the sides of the tub, and I hear my father calling to me. I hear him banging on the door, frantically demanding that I let him in. I'm sorry, Dad. But you are too late. I do not want to leave you, but I must.

Because Edward is not real.

At least not in this world. My world. And this is the only way we can be together.

I smile, my mind back in the ocean with Edward by my side, drifting through the water.

Together forever.

**I no longer have to hope, because I no longer breathe.**

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**A/N: **I just wanted to say first of all, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I was so excited to see reviews. :) And thanks to everyone for reading the story. Reviews on what you thought of the story overall would mean so much to me; I hope you enjoyed it! In case you don't understand, Bella was living in a sort of fantasy land. Edward was never real. :(


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